Andrew is involved in a number of national and international collaborations with educational institutions, museum and gallery organisations, as well as industrial partners. Some of his projects are showcased here.
New projects are always welcome, either as a collaboration, or as a contribution or in a consultancy capacity. Contact Andrew for availability or just to talk an idea through. After all, the best projects come out of meaningful conversations.
Communication Arts Review: Editorial Illustration by Andrew Selby
‘For those looking to delve further into the process, power and objectives of editorial illustration, illustrator and professor Andrew Selby created this in-depth reference on the practice.
Presented within are the discipline’s history, use of symbolism and research, and ethical discussions on representation.’
Reviewed in Communication Arts Annual 2023.
224 pages, $37.95, paperback, Bloomsbury Visual Arts.
ICON12 Minneapolis
I’m really pleased to have been accepted by the ICON12 Illustration Conference Education Symposium to present my paper about Folk Illustration in Minneapolis, MN. Many thanks to the co-chairs, Professor Robyn Phillips-Pendleton (University of Delaware) and Assistant Professor Shreyas R. Krishnan (Washington University in St. Louis) for including my paper at this event.
I’ve been interested in exploring the notion of Folk Illustration as a potentially distinct and separate pursuit from Folk Art for a while now. The rise of populist nationalism, particularly in Western countries, has shaken democratic conventions of truth, accountability and equality. In turn, alternative communities and displaced people face discrimination and marginalisation in a world where borders and boundaries are contested. In amongst all of those hostile actions, threats and uncertainties, I believe Folk Illustration has a part to play in mediating a new understanding, acknowledgement and acceptance of difference and displacement. That’s what I will be exploring in greater detail in this paper.
This will be the ninth time I have attended ICON at its various venues throughout North America. I’m looking forward to seeing all of the illustration community - some of which I’ve known for many years - others who I have yet to meet - in Minnesota next July.
D&AD New Blood Awards 2023
Congratulations to all our graduates from the BA(Hons) Graphic Communication and Illustration programme at Loughborough University who exhibited at Protein Studios in Shoreditch, London as part of the D&AD New Blood Festival.
This year Loughborough students won four D&AD Pencils - three Yellow and one Graphite - for their work answering industry briefs from IMAX, giffgaff, Barclays and Heineken x Design Bridge. Congratulations to Sammy Rudkin, Joanna Nicoll, Nitya Thawani and David Hitchcock respectively. Nitya and Dan Fitton were selected to take part in the prestigious New Blood Academy which supports new graduates entering the creative industries.
It’s very gratifying seeing the 25th iteration of graduates from the course I helped design and build achieve continued success through high level, professionally endorsed competitions of this nature. You can see all their winning work by visiting the D&AD New Blood Competition Winners gallery through the buttons below.
I co-wrote and presented, ‘Artificial Intelligence in Editorial Illustration: An Insight into Proximity and Plausibility; Emotion, Empathy and Ethics’ with Professor Mario Minichiello from the University of Newcastle, Australia for this year’s CONFIA event in Caldas da Rainha, Portugal (6 - 7 July, 2023).
GAN AI is quickly emerging as a technology that will potentially empower workflow and change our outlook on productivity. Many creatives see AI as a threat to their livelihoods in an unregulated environment. We contend that AI is rather something to be explored and embraced as a tool that humans exert control over, rather than being in service to this technology. Thanks to CONFIA for accepting our paper this year and to all the attendees for their thoughtful and incisive questions on the subject. It is clearly an area of both interest and, sadly but inevitably, of mis-information. I hope that our paper allays some of those fears or at least, gives some perspective about what to focus on in a time of immense change and what to not lose sleep worrying about unduly.
Full detailed access to our paper will be available shortly through link here. Keep checking back for details.
CONFIA2023
The Pilgrim Mother
The Pilgrim Mother is a poster I illustrated for the Mayflower Museum in Plymouth. Working with historical archives and bringing forgotten stories to life is important as there is a chance to challenge and reposition the roles that were played by under-represented and marginalised groups in events that changed the course of history.
Much has been written about the Pilgrim Fathers voyage to America from Plymouth in 1620, but little is revealed and therefore recognised about the significant role women played in establishing the Plymouth Colony in Massachusetts. Although 18 adult women braved the treacherous conditions of the North Atlantic, a staggering 78% of them died either during the voyage, or in the first winter. By Thanksgiving in November 1621, only four adult women remained: Eleanor Billington, Mary Brewster, Elizabeth Hopkins and Susanna (White) Winslow.
The artwork is created using watercolour, gouache, ink and digital on cold-pressed Arches 400lb rough paper. The hand-lettering is recreated from leather-bound and vellum paper sources of Puritan bibles of the period, re-purposed for a 21st Century revivalist story of endeavour and courage.
Japanese Koinobori Commission
I’ve recently completed a new 3-metre version of my Koinobori artwork that I originally made for the Olympics and Culture exhibition in Tokyo back in 2018. My client had seen the 5-metre original watercolour painting and wanted a version for her business headquarters in Mie prefecture, Japan.
The company, Takemura-Net, design and produce fishing nets to be used nationally and internationally. This part of the Japanese coast is famous for it’s ‘Ama’ divers - the pearl diving mermaids of Japan. It’s great to work as such a large scale again and for the Japanese market who are so interested in the thought process and production methods of creating work at this size. The work is now on its way to Japan for framing and and exhibition.
ICON11 Illustration Conference Kansas City
I presented my research on Editorial Illustration: Audience Interaction Through Time and Space at the ICON11 Illustration Conference Educators Symposium. I was also invited to participate in the closing round table discussion with other illustration academics. Thanks very much to Mark Heflin, Marty Blake and the rest of the ICON Board of Directors for inviting me to talk about new approaches to editorial illustration around the public consumption of news media and cultural analysis. The research is part of the work I have recently completed for my Editorial Illustration: Context, Content and Creation book, to be published by Bloomsbury in December 2022.
American Illustration 41
I’m honoured to have my poster ‘The Lure of the Sockeye’ chosen for inclusion into the American Illustration 41 annual. Achieving recognition for this piece is special as it is such a hard contest with thousands of illustrators looking to make the cut. Many thanks to publisher Mark Heflin and the jury from American Illustration for selecting my work this year.
The poster was commissioned by Henning Nørgaard from Sixty Five Degrees North.
Visit Japan with ANA
I’ve just completed this illustration for a poster for All Nippon Airlines (ANA) through Ogilvy Hong Kong.
Made using analogue watercolour, gouache and ink painting and some digital edits, the poster invites and welcomes travellers back to Japan after Covid-19. I’m looking forward to visiting Japan again - it’s been too long! The poster picks up on the intricate design of Japanese formal moss and gravel gardens, bordered by acre and maple trees in fall foliage. There’s even a miniature Mt. Fuji…
The original artwork for the poster is available for purchase on 400lb Arches rough paper with a ragged edge. Please contact me if you are interested.
FICC 2022, San Francisco
I’m happy to be attending the Future of Information and Communication Conference in San Francisco on March 3 - 4, 2022 to present my research on Editorial Illustration. At this stage, I’m hoping to be able to present physically in-person.
My academic paper, Editorial Illustration: Audience Interaction through Time and Space, has been accepted through the conference peer review process for inclusion and presentation at this event, described as the pre-eminent forum for reporting technological breakthroughs in the areas of Communication, Data Science, Networking, Ambient Intelligence, Security & Computing. The conference proceedings will be published in the Springer series, Lecture Notes in Networks and Systems and submitted for consideration to Scopus, Web of Science, DBLP, INSPEC, WTI Frankfurt eG, zbMATH and SCImago.
I’m looking forward to returning to San Francisco and visiting the city where I saw my first book, Animation in Process, launched way back in 2009. It was exhilarating to see it on display at the SF Museum of Modern Art.
‘There’s Nowt So Queer As Folk…’
This theatre poster was recently completed for well-loved British playwright and poet, Alan Bennett. The quotation that runs around the sides and top of the poster is full of classic Yorkshire humour and wit that is synonymous with Bennett’s written and spoken output over the decades. I approached the poster by trying to mirror the unexpected ebb and flow of Bennett’s writing by creating characters that are surprising and at odds with their environment. The colour palette continues to play on this theme.
The illustration and lettering is hand-drawn and painted using Lascaux gouache and watercolour on ragged-edged 400lb Arches aquarelle rough paper.
The original poster is available for purchase if you contact me directly.
Size 590mm x 760mm.
3x3 Illustration Show 18
I am thrilled to receive news that my Netherlands Cycle Network advertising poster has been awarded a Merit for the 3x3 Illustration Show 18. Thanks so much to Founder and Publisher, Charles Hively, and all of the jurors for selecting my image for inclusion into this year’s show and annual.
The illustration is part of a campaign to promote the new Netherlands Cycle Network as a place for work commuting, leisure and fitness activity. The artwork imagines these cyclists on paths that join to form a tree, emphasising the integrated cycle network and the natural benefits that regular cycling can bring.
The Dutch have some of the best cycle networks in the world and the bicycle is integral to their national culture. Perhaps it can encourage more people to seek out the obvious benefits of cycling as environmental and sustainable approaches to our transport issues.
CONFIA2021 Keynote Speaker
I’m honoured to have been invited as a Keynote Speaker at the 9th CONFIA Illustration and Animation Conference. The event is being held in the beautiful city of Aveiro in Portugal on the 28th - 29th October, 2021.
I am looking forward to presenting my recent research on Editorial Illustration, and specifically on the new directions open to illustrators and animators as more and more communication content moves to online platforms. This is not the end of printed newspapers, magazines and journals. Instead it is a fast-moving, exciting user-centred journey into news presentation and consumption experiences that have become a global phenomenon.
Thanks to the jury for inviting me and I am looking forward to travelling once again to this beautiful country in the autumn.
Tokyo 2020(+1)
Olympic and Paralympic Games
I’m looking forward to the Tokyo Olympic and Paralympic Games that were delayed by the COVID-19 crisis. I was fortunate to visit Japan on several occasions as part of the Olympics and Culture research project I co-directed, supported by the Japanese Cultural Olympiad, that was exhibited in Tokyo in 2018.
I created a number of pieces of artwork which took their inspiration from unique Japanese cultural artefacts and re-imagined them as symbols that related to the Olympic and Paralympic Games. The act of bringing sport and culture together is at the heart of the Olympic and Paralympic movements and creates a strong and unifying bond between local residents and international visitors. The long history and heritage of Japanese cultural products set against the fast, modern pace of our digital lives creates an interesting space to make illustrations that resonate with a culturally diverse audience.
Hahnenkamm Poster 2022
My poster design for the world-famous Hahnenkamm downhill ski race that takes place in Kitzbühel, Austria every January. Notoriously difficult to navigate, the annual Hahnenkamm-Rennen is said to be the world’s most dangerous ski run, with legendary parts of the course like The Streif, Mausefalle and the Steilhang providing the greatest test in ski racing.
This year, I decided simple shape and limited colour was the best way to show the simplicity of getting down the mountain at lightning speed whilst showing how close the racers come to being close to the edge.
My New Illustration Studio
My new illustration studio is quickly taking shape now and I’ll soon be able to permanently move in. Many thanks to all of the architects, structural engineers, building teams, electricians, air conditioning and heat pump engineers for all of their hard work over the summer months to get this project over the line.
The new 50-square metre studio has 12 Velux windows to let in natural daylight and 18 daylight simulation downlighters, that means I can work happily around the clock. Thanks to the main contractor - NK Lofts - here in the UK for making the job so efficient and stress-free.
I can’t wait to move in! But not before the painters and flooring guys have done their respective jobs…
D&AD New Blood Awards 2020
This year, students I taught at Loughborough University scooped an impressive five D&AD Pencils at the New Blood Awards 2020. The level of quality produced this year was especially pleasing given the COVID-19 pandemic, showing how resilient and determined the graduates are to make their mark in the Creative Industries. The briefs are set each year by well established industry names such as the BBC, Nike, Google, Intel and Barclays.
Our Yellow and Graphite Pencils were won in the giffgaff 5G competition by Nour Abousaif, and Rory Cowan and Henry White respectively. We achieved three Wood Pencils with work for Xbox Rare by Andrew Grech, Pater Jago and Ali Mshasha; Olivia Kite and Sophie State’s thoughtful work for the BBC; and, finally, Bartek Marzec’s excellent Clique project for VBat / Superunion. Congratulations to all the winning entries made by Loughborough students.
I should also add that there were some excellent students that weren’t awarded Pencils this time, but that will go on to have very successful creative careers. All of the winning works can be found on the D&AD New Blood web site, through the button below.
American Illustration 39
Two of my illustrations have been chosen for American Illustration 39. This year, my illustrated posters for Copenhagen Pride in Denmark and the Up Helly Aa fire festival in Shetland, UK were shortlisted by the jury. I was really pleased that the works were chosen again this year for this prestigious publication - thank you to everyone who voted these images worthy of inclusion.
Copenhagen Pride is regarded as one of the most important LGBT+ events in Europe, with a week of awards, parties and special events that sees the main square renamed as Pride Square. The poster represents freedom of expression and solidarity, represented by the floating figures touched by a never-ending hopping rainbow.
Across the North Sea, the Up Helly Aa fire festival takes place annually in the Shetland Islands every January. As the season of advent draws to a close, the islands come alive with fire as Viking heritage is celebrated through the burning of a ceremonial ship in Lerwick harbour. This poster mixes traditional Norse runic language with modern interpretations of island identity to create a striking, bold image.
The posters were both created on Arches 400lb rough watercolour paper, using a combination of Schmincke watercolour and Lascaux gouache. I like the pressure of creating these analogue images where there is no room for error - and no Command + X. The posters measure 770mm x 530mm. The original posters can be purchased and look great float-mounted to show their unfinished edges (in my opinion). Please contact me if you are interested in making a purchase.
Society of Illustrators’ 62 Exhibition
I love visiting New York City in the winter time. This January, I was fortunate to escape the rain and fog of London to the unseasonal spring time temperatures in Manhattan. I attended the launch night of the Society of Illustrators’ 62nd Annual Exhibition, featuring one of my illustrations, Copenhagen Pride. Thanks to the SoI jury for selecting the poster for this year’s awards.
My Copenhagen Pride poster was chosen in the Institutional category this year. It is always a mixture of gratitude at being selected for an award show mixed with a slight sense of relief that artwork that has been carefully framed and packaged will arrive safely after a long flight. This year, my anxiety levels were heightened one step further by visiting the Society pre-opening and discovering the work being critiqued by the world-famous designer, Seymour Chwast.
Seymour was one of my design heroes as a student, and on previous trips to NYC I have visited his Pushpin Studios headquarters. It was a lovely, unexpected surprise to see him and hear his views about my work - and it reminded me of the value of the critique !
ICON11 Illustration Conference Kansas City
In June 2020, I should be attending the ICON11 Illustration Conference in Kansas City and presenting an academic paper about the uses of Augmented, Virtual and Mixed Reality in Editorial Illustration. Understandably, the conference has been postponed due to the COVID-19 coronavirus epidemic until June 2022.
Researching the paper has been very helpful, both in creating material for my forthcoming book with Bloomsbury on Editorial Illustration, and for thinking about how to adapt my illustration practice to accommodate exciting content viewing and participatory platforms that will revolutionise the consumption of communication content. Challenging conventions and expanding practice is always an evolving preoccupation for an illustrator, and I am fortunate that my role as an academic and researcher allows me a platform to question new approaches and suggest new methods of grasping opportunities to move the subject of illustration forward.
I’m looking forward to seeing friends old and new in Kansas City. Roll on June 2022 !
AAAAI Journal Cover Dec 2019
I completed this journal cover for the American Academy of Allergy, Asthma and Immunology. The cover introduces the role of the changing human microbiome in the current asthma pandemic. The illustration depicts humankind as a part of the microbiome universe, with human hands constructed of cells ‘feeding’ the baby as an extension of the cellular cosmos, balancing the discovery of new scientific knowledge against the unknown fringes of the asthma pandemic.
Creating conceptual covers from peer-reviewed academic papers is something I have a good deal of experience of as an academic, and through my career with clients such as The Lancet, Boots, GlaxoSmithKline and The Pharmacy Journal.
Thanks to the editors and the publisher, Elsevier, for their continued support in commissioning this type of work.
3x3: International Illustration Awards 2019
I’m happy to announce that the 3x3 jury of distinguished judges chaired by Melinda Beck awarded my London Stories poster a Merit in the awards and a place in the No16 Annual.
Thanks to founder and publisher Charles Hively and Senior Designer Sarah Munt for putting another impeccable annual of high quality work together - I’m pleased to be featured again.
American Illustration 38
I was humbled and honoured that my illustration, Plagued by Death, was selected for inclusion into the American Illustration 38 annual. It is a truly great publication and I am an admirer of many of the illustrators featured over the years. Thanks to Mark Helfin and the AI38 jury for admitting my work this year.
I attended the launch event in November 2019 in New York City - a joyous and uplifting night.
Terras Gauda Poster Biennial
Thanks to the jury at Bodegas Terra Gauda for selecting my poster to be part of their bi-annual international poster competition in Spain. Celebrating the formal gardens found in Galicia, the poster captures the verve and charm of the region. The exhibition was staged at the winery in October - November 2019.
The poster was originally drawn on 400lb Arches rough watercolour paper using Schmincke watercolours, Lascaux gouache and inks, before being digitally enhanced. The work was selected for exhibition and publication by the Society of Illustrators’ in the 62nd Annual Exhibition and book, due for release in November 2020. Thanks to that jury too !
Olympics and Culture Exhibition
In July 2018, I co-curated an international exhibition and symposium exploring Olympics and Culture: Tracings, Projections, and Intersections in Tokyo, Japan with Dr Linda Dennis of Joshibi University of Art and Design.
The exhibition examined the impact of the forthcoming Tokyo Olympic and Paralympic Games on a country and city rich in cultural history. Research was conducted by teams of artists and designers working in unison between Japan and the UK to present artworks that assimilated the ideals of the Olympic movement into the cultural products and customs of Japanese society, allowing them to be witnessed by a contemporary audience.
The exhibition was staged at Joshibi Art Museum, Kanagawa, Japan with kind support from the Nomura Foundation. The exhibition and symposium were awarded Cultural Olympiad accreditation by the Tokyo 2020 Support Programme.
The Power and Influence of Illustration
Professor Alan Male kindly invited me to contribute an illustration to his book, The Power and Influence of Illustration, published by Bloomsbury (2019). The illustrated cover I created for The Lancet on the ‘Apeman’ theory is featured in his chapter examining the ‘context, impact and consequence’ of illustration.
This work was created very quickly - over a day and a half - as a response to an article that had arrived late from commissioning. Working to tight deadlines and a good art director is something that keeps this illustrator on his toes.